Informed immigration: A guide to obtaining a Canada PR visa in 2022

Let’s take some time to understand the process of obtaining a Canada PR visa. Here, we will cover Canada immigration in reasonable completeness and help you get a walkthrough of the whole process.

Canada immigration via Express Entry

Skilled immigrants with the desire to settle in Canada as permanent residents can apply for a Canada PR visa through the Canada Express Entry system.

The steps to apply through Canada Express Entry

Step 1: Determine your eligibility

You can determine if you are eligible for an immigration program under the Express Entry in 2 ways:

• • Use a Canada points calculator
  • Refer to the details of requirements for each immigration program

Step 2: Get your documents ready to be submitted

You will need to submit some essential documents that will prove a lot of information that you will provide in the application to create a profile. Here are some of the documents you have to submit:

• • A valid passport/travel document
  • Results of a language test (CLB for English, NCLC for French)
  • Proof of Canadian education or an ECA report for purposes of immigration in case you are:
    • applying via Federal Skilled Worker Program, or
    • seeking points for education you had outside Canada
  • Provincial nomination (if you have been nominated by a Canadian province)
  • Job offering from a Canadian employer in writing in case you have one
  • Proof of work experience
  • Certificate of being qualified in a trade occupation that has been issued by a province/territory in Canada (if you have one)
  • Proof of funds

Once IRCC invites you via a Canada Express Entry draw to apply for a Canada PR visa, you will need to additionally submit these documents:

• • Proof of funds
  • Police certificates
  • Medical examination certificate
  • Brith certificate (in case you are declaring dependent children)
  • Marriage certificate if you have declared your marital status as “married” in the application form
  • A representative form if you are hired by a representative
  • Divorce certificate as well as legal separation agreement in case you have declared your marital status as “divorced” in the application form
  • Death certificate in case you have declared that your marital status as “widowed” in the application form
  • Adoption certificate if your dependent child is shown as “adopted” in the application form

Step 3: Submit your profile

You give all the required information about yourself while creating your Canada Express Entry profile. If you are judged as eligible by IRCC, your profile will be added to the candidate pool.

A points-based system will be applied to rank your profile in the Express Entry candidate pool. The points will be given to factors like education, age, work experience, and language skills.

Step 4: Receive an invitation and apply for a Canada PR visa

IRCC sends invitations to apply for a Canada PR visa on the basis of the CRS score (the score derived from the points earned by your profile). To submit your form after you receive an invitation, you have to apply online. This must be done within 60 days of receiving the invitation from IRCC.

Processing of an immigration application takes around 6 months to complete.

Canada immigration through PNP (Provincial Nominee Program)

Another way to access the opportunity to get a Canada PR visa is via Canada PNP. In this pathway, you, who already have an Express Entry profile, decide to settle down in a Canadian province and apply for an opportunity in a selected province to get nominated. If a province nominates you, it will give you a better chance when it comes to the opportunity to apply for a Canada PR visa.

Canada PNP is meant for you if you

• • Possess the education, skills, and work experience that enables them to contribute to the province’s economy
  • Are willing to live, work, and settle down in that province as a Canada PR visa holder

Under PNP, each province has its own immigration streams which are basically immigration programs that aim at bringing in specific groups of people like:

• • Students
  • Skilled/semi-skilled workers
  • Business people

The provincial route to reach the Express Entry process

There are 2 approaches you have to learn about in this context:

You either:

• • apply for a nomination with a province/territory under an Express Entry Stream after contacting them and
  • after the province decides to nominate you, create a Canada Express Entry profile or update an existing one, showing that you have received a provincial nomination.

Or:

• • create an Express Entry profile first and lodge an EOI (Expression of Interest) with the province you are interested in and
  • contact the province directly once you receive an NOI (Notification of Interest) in your account.
  • Then you apply to that province’s Express Entry Stream.

Along with a provincial nomination, you will be granted 600 extra CRS points that will increase your chances of getting an opportunity to apply for a Canada PR visa. This is because in federal Express Entry draws candidates with the highest CRS scores get the chance to apply first.

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest, or Migrate to Canada, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 immigration & visa company.

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Note:

PR – Permanent Residence/Permanent Resident

CRS – Comprehensive Ranking System

EOI – Expression of Interest

PNP – Provincial Nominee Program

IRCC – Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

CLB – Canadian Language Benchmark